Friday, February 26, 2016

UNESCO Communication and Information Weekly Newsletter

On 19 February 2016 the Maghreb Bureau for UNESCO organized a seminar for the International Radio Day to present the study on "Web Radios in Morocco". The event was attended by representatives from a dozen of web radios as well as the High Authority for Audiovisual and Communications (HACA), the Chairman of World Association of Community-based Broadcasters and the General Secretary of the Ministry of Communication of the Kingdom of Morocco.

Delivering the 18th Commonwealth Lecture in London on 25 February 2016, UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova explored the stakes of educating for inclusion, dialogue and peace in a world that is getting younger every day.

UNESCO in partnership with African Media Initiative (AMI) organised a media stakeholder's consultation on 23 February 2016 on the State of Journalists Safety and the Issue of Impunity in Kenya based on UNESCOs Journalists' Safety Indicators. The one day meeting in Nairobi, Kenya aimed at reviewing and discussing issues captured in the draft study report on Journalists Safety in Kenya covering the period from August 2014 to July 2015 in Kenya.

The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, today condemned ongoing attacks on media personnel in Syria and deplored the heavy tribute paid by reporters and their colleagues in the exercise of their professional duties.

The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, today deplored the unsafe conditions that journalists and media workers face in Iraq. UNESCO has now confirmed, in addition to killings that the Director-general had previously condemned, the killings of the following seven media professionals within the country over the last two years.

UNESCO launches a call for research proposals to provide a global mapping of research into the assumed roles played by social media in radicalization processes in all regions. The research should also examine ongoing steps being taken to counter radicalization, and provide an in-depth analysis on their potential impact on online and offline freedoms. Building on these empirical findings, the study should also include recommendations for various actors including state actors, Internet companies, news media, civil society and researchers.

From 14 to 18 February, the "Debate to Action" communications and leadership programme brought together young Arab emerging leaders in Amman, Jordan, to enhance their capacities to make their voices heard in the public sphere and carry-out effective advocacy. The five-day workshop aimed to provide these young women and men with the tools to become ambassadors for dialogue in their region.

The second edition of UNESCO's report on World Trends in Freedom of Expression and Media Development was launched in an academic seminar at the Department of Journalism and Media Studies at Høgskolen i Oslo og Akershus (HiOA) in Norway last week.

Innovation and Equity in Higher Education

February 2016 | UNESCO Bangkok Office

Dear readers,

Achieving innovation and equity in higher education require a mitigated approach to ensuring equitable access to quality education. As the region of Asia Pacific experiences dramatic changes and rising numbers of enrolled students in higher education, it is timely to assess the ways in which this sector can be transformed, reformulated, and directed, in order to provide relevant, meaningful, and innovative learning opportunities for all.

Rising Stars Through the Wedu NGO, women in 12 Southeast Asian countries receive lifelong mentorship from 25 different countries through Skype, Facebook, and messaging apps for low-bandwidth environments, and are offered innovative financing options to gain higher education and become leaders of their communities.

News and Events:UNESCO Mobile Learning Week (7-11 March 2016, Paris, France)The theme of this year's annual MLW is "Innovating for quality." It aims to explore the ways in which mobile technology can leveraged in order to foster innovation in education and ensure quality learning opportunities for all.

DEANZ 2016 (17-20 April 2016, University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand)With theme of "There and back: Charting flexible pathways in open, mobile and distance education", the biennial event aims to share best practices and theories in open, distance, flexible and mobile learning in all education settings.

The Asian Conference on Technology in the Classroom 2016 (April 28-May 1, 2016, Kobe, Japan)The Sixth Asian Conference on Technology in the Classroom will focus on the theme of "Convergence I Divergence", looking at the challenges involved when different individuals, ideas, teaching and learning styles come together.

The Innovation Policy Platform The Innovation Policy Platform, developed by WB Group and OECD, is an interactive platform that provides learning resources, indicators, and more. It shares good practices in different countries, provides statistical benchmarking, and facilitates knowledge exchange.

Teacher Policy Development Guide The UNESCO guide aims to provide Member States and partners with a tool that will aid in the development and review of national teacher policies, available in seven languages and designed as an interactive tool.

Rethinking Education: Towards a Global Common Good? This publication provides the overall vision and principles outlined in Education 2030 Framework for Action. It calls for a public policy dialogue in order to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong learning for all.

Next Issue: Starting with the next issue the ICT in Education newsletter will be issued bimonthly and in a different, more mobile-friendly format. The April edition will focus on ICT-supported Collaborative Learning and Innovative Pedagogy. If our readers are interested in contributing to this edition, please do not hesitate to contact us with the information of your affiliation, area of interest/expertise, and a brief proposal for a possible contribution and its relevance to the theme (by the beginning of the chosen month's edition theme).

Disclaimer The opinions expressed in the documents included in this newsletter are those of the authors and editors and do not necessarily reflect the policies or views of UNESCO, nor of any particular Division or Office. All rights to the resources included in this guide remain with their respective copyright owners, as indicated for each resource.